The first segment of Freshkills Park[3], which includes 28 acres of soccer fields, is set to be complete by December, according to city officials. But Donald Gangi, head of D. Gangi, the contracting firm, says the fields are only 20 percent complete and will likely take another two years to finish. A spokesperson for the Parks Department said they they are working with the contractor to determine if sinking is in fact occurring. Once the condition is determined, they will take the appropriate steps to fix the problem.

Freshkills Park has been in development for quite some time, and the first segment suffered an initial set back in 2006 when the Department of Environmental Conservation discovered that the site was contaminated with PCBs. The city spent $4.5 million and three years on the clean up. The original cost of the project was stated to be about $6.8 million, but it is now estimated to cost about $14 million.

We certainly hope the foundation issue isn’t too detrimental — we are really looking forward to the park! From wetlands to cross-country skiing, Freshkills is bound to have something for everyone. Check out a slideshow of the plans here[3].